


the great duck fiasco

by reignstarks



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Ducks, M/M, State Fair, Tinder, both are respective citizens of their own countries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 19:40:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19341280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reignstarks/pseuds/reignstarks
Summary: He opened the app and immediately there’s a block of potential new matches waiting for him to swipe through. He slightly moved his thumb left and right to see which swipe is correct before he…swiped away. He thumbed quickly, going by first picture alone until the screen went dark and the words It’s A Match! pop up with his icon and someone else’s.You and Alex have liked each other!Henry hits the send message button and paused. He doesn’t know what to say. Does he say Hello? Is that safe? Instead he hit Alex’s icon to pull up Alex’s profile.The first photo was a mirror selfie and Henry softly laughed but upon looking at it longer, Alex is really, really cute. He’s got a white short-sleeved button up with navy blue shorts on and his hair a tousled mess. One hand was making a peace sign and the other was holding the phone with a bi flag popsocket. Henry felt his cheeks warm. He swiped to the next photo and saw the rest are him gently holding baby ducks. The ducks are also very, very cute but Henry’s a little confused until he reads the bio.Or: The One Where A Baby Duck Gets Stolen From A State Fair





	the great duck fiasco

**Author's Note:**

> based from this post: https://tindershwinder.tumblr.com/post/185078303916/youre-alright-alex-youre-alright

It’s a Sunday afternoon and Henry was trying his best to keep it together while Pez was being the Best Friend Ever and listening to him while he vented.

“Pezza, you remember the saying ‘Everything is bigger in Texas?’ They aren’t joking, mate. The state is huge, the campus is huge, the student body is huge, there’s so much happening all over the place, people shouting about clubs and Longhorns and school spirit and american football. I need two days to decompress from the sensory overload. What did I get myself into, Pez?” 

“Well, if you didn’t wait like the idiot you can be to decide on a master’s program, you could’ve gone to uni here and not have to move five thousand miles away.” Pez answered over Skype. Henry felt a pang of guilt at that.

He didn’t mean to wait so long, it’s just that a lot had happened during spring term in a short amount of time; his dad died, his mum was having a hard time coping with his absence and Bea was trying to keep all three of them together from crumbling. Henry did well on his results but then that happened and he felt torn, broken, alone. His defense mechanism was to shut out everything and hide away until things got better. Bea had understood and even put her music studies on hold to help Mum and him, he’d completely forgotten about university until time was nearly over and...and...and-

“But, UT gave you a full-ride international scholarship, the English Lit and Art program you wanted, and if I remember clearly, you said you wanted to “ _Live the American Dream_ ” and you “ _wanted some action in your life_ ”. You’ve lived a quiet life here, H. It may seem scary, what you did was a bit mental but I know if you put your mind to it, you can get through this. Look, you got this far, you’re living in America! The place where dreams come true.”

Henry paused. “Isn’t that from Disney?” He watched Pez shrug. “You are right though.”

“Duh, of course.” Pez said. “Now go live the dream! Go outside, take in that warm sunshine, meet new people and make friends!”

Henry groaned. “It’s still so hot over here, there’s no way I’m going outside and you know how I feel about meeting new people.”

“Yes, I know but you’re in the wonderful new world now. Go conquer it. You are British.” Pez joked but stared fondly at him.

Henry laughed then thought it over. Pez was right. He should get up, take the bull by the horns and not hold back from living this new chapter in his life.

Henry watched Pez yawn on screen. “It’s getting late over here, gotta be up early to help out my gran. I’m going to log off and sleep.”

Henry nodded. “Thank you for helping me, Pez. You’re a gem. Go get sleep. Love you.”

Pez blew him a kiss. “Love you too. Night, H.”

 

The call ended and Henry closed out Skype, shutting his laptop. It’s early evening in Austin and he’s finished most of his assignments for the upcoming week. He could work on cleaning up his essay for English Lit but he’s tired of staring at it any much longer. It had been on his screen waiting for him until Pez had logged on and rang him for their weekly Skype chat.

Henry reached for his phone and thumbed the screen on. No new messages from Bea or anyone important but there in the corner of his screen was a notification alert on the Tinder app on his phone. Pez had him download the app before he left to help him on his quest to live his best life.

“Think of it as a way to meet new friends!” Pez had told him cheekily. He helped him fill out his profile, picking the best photos and coming up with a perfect neutral and a little funny bio. Henry hadn’t even opened it since he’d landed a few weeks ago. Too busy getting adjusted to his surroundings and telling himself that booking a return flight to Heathrow was not the best option. Now with homework almost out of the way, he’s got nothing to do and time to kill. He hated that he acknowledged it, but at that very second, he’s curious. It can’t hurt. He can delete the app if he wants and Pez won’t even know. He made his decision. “I’m only clicking on it to look, that’s all!”

He opened the app and immediately there’s a block of potential new matches waiting for him to swipe through. He slightly moved his thumb left and right to see which swipe is correct before he…swiped away. He thumbed quickly, going by first picture alone until the screen went dark and the words It’s A Match! pop up with his icon and someone else’s.

_You and Alex have liked each other!_

Henry hits the send message button and paused. He doesn’t know what to say. Does he say Hello? Is that safe? Instead he hit Alex’s icon to pull up Alex’s profile.

The first photo was a mirror selfie and Henry softly laughed but upon looking at it longer, Alex is really, really cute. He’s got a white short-sleeved button up with navy blue shorts on and his hair a tousled mess. One hand was making a peace sign and the other was holding the phone with a bi flag popsocket. Henry felt his cheeks warm. He swiped to the next photo and saw the rest are him gently holding baby ducks. The ducks are also very, very cute but Henry’s a little confused until he reads the bio.

 _

Alex, 22

5 miles away

I have a lifetime ban from the Texas State Fair for taking a duck from the petting zoo and setting him free. I go back every year to try and do the same thing but it’s getting harder every year.

So that’s where you come in. ;)

 _

Henry’s speechless. Is he serious? He absolutely needed to learn more. He thumbed back to the message screen and saw Alex already sent him a message.

_Hey, what are your thoughts on b &e? _

Henry typed.

_Are you playing a joke or did you really get banned from a state fair?_

_This is not a joke. I’m dead serious._

_Ok, if I were to assist you in your mission, what would I have to do?_

 

A number of minutes went by and Henry began to second guess responding back but what appeared next kept him intrigued. Alex had written a heavily detailed list with bullet points on what he has to do and even provided options in case something were to go wrong. At this point, he still can’t tell if Alex is truly serious or very dedicated to the joke.

Henry pulled up the website for the fair. It opened in less than two weeks. Henry did say he wanted some action in his life. He messaged Alex with his response.

_Alright, I’m down for some duck retrieval._

_Perfect._

  ___

What in the fuck did he get himself into? He’s really about to go through with this.

It’s opening day of the state fair and after spending a questionable amount of time on his outfit and contemplated on whether he should inform his family on his turn to a life of crime, he ordered a lyft to drop him off. As the car neared the fairground, he got his first look of the place and marveled at the sheer size of it and the people awaiting to enter. How was he going to find Alex in this? Why is everything so big in Texas? Henry believed that by the end of his program, he’d find the answer.

He tipped the driver for the trouble and messaged Alex to let him know he’d arrived.

 

Ever since the Free Duck at State Fair Mission had been put into action, they’d been messaging nonstop. Henry looked forward to Alex’s next witty remark or next passionate rant on his PoliSci major and all idiots he wanted to prove wrong. They’d become fast friends, Henry hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Alex and now that the day had arrived for their heist, he felt nervous and excited, the anticipation buzzing under his skin.

Ticket already bought, he doubled checked his phone for their assigned meeting place, a patch of trees near Gate 1, and made his way over. It took him a good half hour to get to the location, he’d been going the wrong way, with the mass of people and the temperature heating up, he stopped to catch his breath, slowly breathed in and out before he wound himself into a panic. Once he’s calmed down again, he started moving until he finally reached the copse of trees. There were still so many people mingling around, he had to craned his neck to search through the empty spaces to find him and...then he does.

He’s standing there in a dark red v-neck shirt, shorts, and converse. His head was down, he’s staring at his phone. And as if he sensed someone staring at him, he looked up and oh.

_Oh, Henry had never seen anybody so beautiful._

They met and among all the voices around, Henry heard Alex’s soft,”Hi.”

“Hello.” Henry answered just as softly and Alex froze for a blink of a moment before answering him with the warmest smile that Henry had ever had turned towards him.

“You ready? Fair’s about to open.” Alex said to him and he nodded. “I’m here on a mission, I plan to follow through.” Alex laughed and Henry’s heart beat double.

He’s glad he agreed to do this with Alex. There’s a thought that crossed his mind that he tried very hard not to put any more thought to.

_I think I’d do anything for you._

_

 

The sounds, sights, and smells hit him as soon as he walked a few feet in from the gate. Handed a map from a girl with a staff shirt on, he thanked her, then let the herd of other attendees lead him in hopefully the right direction. Shortly he saw empty space in the break of bodies on his right and walked towards it. He messaged Alex.

_Finally got in. Mission proceeds as planned._

_👍👍_

Pocketing his phone, he unfolded the map and searched for where Alex had said the adorable contraband was located, the Children’s Barnyard. He refolded the map and went on his way.

 

-

 

Inside the Children’s Barnyard, small clusters of kids were surrounding the wire fences, holding out their hands with food to feed and pet the eager animals. Signs were posted all around advertising a few dollars for the food. Henry walked in nonchalantly, looking into each pen.

 

He found it in a corner across from the goats.

 

There were five baby ducks. Two were huddled together asleep, two were being fed by small hands and one was walking around the enclosure. Henry crouched down on his knees and the one walking around stopped in front of him. He poked a finger inside to stroke it’s soft head. The baby duck head-bumped his finger. Henry knew this was the one. He looked around him and the coast looked clear.

“You guys alright over here?” a staff member asked the group of kids and few adults next to him clustered around the chick pen. He heard the small chorus of yes’s and then waited for the attendant to move onto the next group. Henry chanced a look at the front end of the zoo. More people were trickling in. He needed to do it soon before it was too late and someone caught him in the act. That moment came sooner than he thought because the next couple seconds held a flurry of voices and action.

First there was a high pitched scream and a woman called out, “Can I get some help over here?” Then there was a crashing noise and another woman apologizing, “Oh dear, I’m so sorry, let me help you pick this up.” And then there was a man’s voice who sighed, “Jacob, don’t climb the horse, what did I just say?”

Henry did a quick double take around him, saw that no one was looking towards him, and with no one next to him, he reached in and ever so gently picked the baby duck up and cradled it in the crook of his arm. The duck snuggled in without making a sound and Henry’s heart melted. Placing his other arm gently on top of the other, he made a sort of cocoon to keep the duck out of sight and casually made his way out the zoo. No one had stopped him. He had this, he’s so close. Alex was going to be so amazed. He made it right to the entrance when someone clears their throat behind him.

“Pardon me sir, you can’t remove animals from this area.”

Shit. Don’t be suspicious, Henry thought to himself.

“Sir.” He felt someone step closer.

He ran.

“HEY! COME BACK HERE!” a voice yelled and then he heard the footfall of someone chasing him.

He shifted the duck into his palms and booked it to any entrance that came into view. He got a few disgruntled shouts from passersby but mostly people saw him coming and stepped away.

“Hold on, little buddy. Almost there.” Henry told the duck, breathless.

A large EXIT sign came into view and Henry zig-zagged through a couple groups of people and then made the last final push through the exit. A cheery voice called out, “Come back soon!” Henry’s eyes frantically scan the area for the trees. There aren’t any. Shit, did he exit the wrong gate? He looked down at the duck to see his small, beady eyes staring back at him. He cooed, moving the duck to one hand and pulled out his phone with the other to call Alex.

 

“Hello?”

“MAYDAY, ALEX. MAYDAY. DUCK IN POSSESSION.”

“WHAT? Oh my god, where are you?”

 “I have no idea but I’m outside the fair.”

“Ok, ok, ok, what can you see? No, wait! Turn around, what gate are you at?”

“Erm, Gate 11.”

“Ok, you go right, i’ll be coming left. Got it?" 

“Yes. Got it.”

“Ok. See you soon." 

Henry checked in with the duck. It had started to squirm. Henry turned to his right and ran again. He’s 100% sure he got odd looks from people but the sooner he got to Alex the better he’d feel.

They almost completely passed each other while running.

 

“Alex!”

“Henry!”

 

Alex grabbed his hand and together they ran to a different hiding spot amongst some trailers and crates.They stopped to catch their breath.

Alex wheezed out. “Holy shit.”

Henry nodded and handed Alex the baby duck. “One beautiful baby duck.”

Alex held his hands out as Henry gently placed the duck in them. Alex broke into giggles. The duck quacked and the look on Alex’s face is so indescribably happy, he thought that his expression alone was totally worth the possible arrest charges he might face.

Alex looked back up to Henry, “So, how did you do it? Which of my foolproof plans did you use?”

Henry answered sheepishly. “They were distracted, so I just grabbed it and walked away very quickly.”

Alex’s jaw dropped. “Just like that?”

He nodded. “It was pretty simple.” The duck chose to answer as well with another quack.

 

“Hey, check behind these crates!” A voice nearby yells and both of them froze. Alex motioned for both of them to shut up and duck. Henry nudged his head to underneath the RV trailer next to them but Alex feared that would make the duck give away their location. They crouched low to the ground near the rear tire and hoped security wouldn’t look their way.

Someone spoke into a walkie talkie. “We got a missing duck from the petting zoo. Suspect is six foot, blonde hair, wearing a light blue shirt. Keep me posted, over.”

“Alright let’s check over here.”

The sounds of their footsteps seemed to be moving away from them and after five minutes, the two were in the clear.

“I can’t believe we did it.” Alex said awed.

Henry mirrored his awe. “Neither can I.”

Alex sat down on the ground, waved to Henry to do the same. He let the duck loose and watched it waddle in between them.

 

“You can drop the accent, you know?” Alex said. 

Henry said confused, “Accent?”

“Yeah, your british accent. You did this and I’m impressed. You don’t have to impress me more.”

“I don’t?....” Henry was at a loss. Impress? He thought back to their entire conversation on Tinder to now and doesn’t understand why Alex was insinuating he’s using an accent? He thought he was clear, the photos, the words he used?

“Alex, I am british. I’m here for university.” Henry said slowly.

He tilted his head. “Wait, really? You’re not messing with me?" 

Henry shook his head. “No, absolutely not.”

“What school do you go to?” Alex asked.

“University of Texas, Austin.” Henry answered.

A huge smile spread on Alex’s face. “Shut up.”

Henry nods again.

Alex points to himself. “So do I! What a small world, huh?”

“Indeed.”

Minutes went  by with them sitting on the ground, listening to the sounds of the fair and watching a duck waddle around them and quack to its little heart’s delight. Henry watched Alex out of the corner of his eye. One of his curls was loose and waved in the wind. Henry secretly wanted to reach out and tuck it behind Alex’s ear.

The duck, bored of investigating this new area, waddled up between them and curled up to sleep. They both turned their heads to look at each other and softly laugh. They looked away. Henry wondered if Alex could hear how hard his heart was beating.

Alex softly nudged Henry’s shoulder with his hand. He turned his head and watched Alex bite his lip and his heart caught.  “Hey, do you want to maybe grab some food with me? If you have somewhere to be, that’s cool, but if you’re free?”

Henry had nowhere to be. There was nowhere he wanted to be except here with Alex and their baby duck.

“I’d like that.” Alex smiled and Henry swooned.

“But first,” Alex looked between them, “what are we going to do with the duck?”

**Author's Note:**

> \- no ducks were harmed in the making of this fic  
> \- the hugest of shoutouts to @ rosadiza on tumblr, you are truly the realest mvp for looking thru this  
> \- been wanting to add something to this tag bc im absolutely 100% in love with this book: here it is  
> \- hope i got the voices correct, let me know if there's mess ups, criticism and comments are welcome!  
> \- duck's whereabouts? don't worry he's safe and living his best life and loves to tell his duck friends about what happened to him  
> \- alex is polisci and henry is eng lit with a minor in art  
> \- tumb is alexclaremont-diaz


End file.
